Push-to-talk (PTT) services are becoming more popular with cellular consumers. Standard PTT services utilize an individual's cellular telephone to place a call to another cellular telephone by pressing a single button. For such a walkie-talkie like feature to be accepted by consumers, the time between when an individual pushes the button, and when the call is connected, must be small. Therefore, it becomes essential to have a fast call setup time for cellular systems offering PTT services. Current technology in a communication system employing the Code Division, Multiple Access (CDMA) system protocol requires around 600 milliseconds for a PTT call to be set up. Reducing this time is desirable. Therefore a need exists for a method and apparatus for call setup that minimizes the amount of time necessary to establish the call.